Header$type=social_icons

California agrees to pause net neutrality law

SHARE:

Protesters in Washington D.C. rally against the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai’s proposal to repeal so-called 'net neutrality' rules that prohibit Internet service providers from charging consumers more for certain content, blocking content or slowing down web access. On Friday, California agreed to put the state's net neutrality law on hold until a federal appeals court decides whether ending the regulation of Internet providers is lawful. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

By Susan McFarland, UPI

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra agreed Friday to put the state's net neutrality law on hold until a federal appeals court decides whether ending the regulation of Internet providers is lawful, something enacted by the Trump administration last year.

California's law would restore rules put in place during the Obama era to treat all Internet data equally and bar Internet service providers from slowing, or throttling, speeds, blocking access to lawful content and offering fast lanes for Google, Facebook and Netflix.

The state has become a battleground over so-called net neutrality regulations, with the U.S. Department of Justice challenging a new state law that prohibits Internet providers from slowing customer speeds.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department sued California over the law, which would kick in this January.

The case against the Federal Communications Commission's decision to end net neutrality, filed by California and 31 other states and public interest groups, will be heard by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The court's decision is expected next year with arguments beginning Feb. 1.

If the court decides the FCC acted arbitrarily and capriciously, net neutrality protections could return nationwide. The court also is deciding if states can regulate the issue on their own.